Set it Free
by Forest Ink
Summary: After nearly three years, Tenten wonders if having feelings for the ice cold Hyuga Neji was really so smart after all. Maybe it’s time to move on, find something new and start over. But what about him? [COMPLETE]
1. First Step

**Set it Free**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto doesn't belong to me.

**Summary: **You never know what you've lost until it's gone. And then, and only then, do you realize just how good you had it. After nearly three years, Tenten wonders if having feelings for the ice cold Hyuga Neji was really so smart after all. Maybe it's time to move on, find something new and start over. But what about him?

**A/N:**I've loved the nejiten pairing to bits, and tenten has always been one of my favorite characters. But she seems like such a self-efficient person, and one who prides herself on that. So it irked me that nobody would think that maybe Tenten isn't the sort to pine away for one man. She's practical right? And first, let me come right out and say it, this fic is pretty short. 5 chapters. Ok?

Story dedicated to **Thisismystory**, because if she weren't there to get me off my butt, I would never finish this.

(And BTW, Neji and Tenten are both jounin in this story, with Neji also an ANBU member.)

…and also made some edits. –02.5.06

* * *

"Again."

Tenten slowly heaved herself up, readying her weapons once again, though with considerably much less vigor than she had before. She was exhausted, sweat trickling down her forehead, hair damp from the strenuous training session she'd just had.

There was a slight breeze blowing in from the West that day, though only very slight. The summer sun was altogether too bright and hot for a day of strenuous training, and Tenten savored what she could.

"Just hold on, Neji."

Hyuga Neji merely hned, calm as could be, with several beads of sweat serving as the only indications that the training had even slightly tired him out, though that may have been due to heat, and not necessarily training. It was slightly depressing, to say in the least. He resumed into his stance; waiting for his counterpart to ready herself, though not without one last, "hurry up."

He was Hyuga Neji after all. He wasn't tired, he wanted to train, and he wouldn't be denied.

She wondered why he didn't care. She'd asked herself that very question countless times, each time with no answer in sight. She mentally scoffed. She was the one who made sure he ate so he wouldn't starve, or rest when he was clearly entirely worn out. Though knowing him, he probably just thought her a nuisance.

And she didn't know why she cared half so much; it wasn't as if she reaped any benefits other than a sparring partner, though she had to admit that she was getting better. But she supposed she knew what really lurked in her heart. It had grown from just a mere fluttering to a rapid beating whenever he touched her, brushed by her, and the feelings were unstoppable now. It was love, she remembered she had grudgingly admitted about 2 months ago, over something as paltry as washing dishes, though the silence of living alone in a small apartment offered way too much time for thought.

" Are you ready?", a stoic voice asked.

She sighed. Back to it then.

"Yes, Neji."

She failed to see Neji's eyes flicker with an unsaid emotion for just a split second before reverting back to its normal pearly state.

------

It was nearly five hours later before Neji had deemed it a good time to stop, and Tenten sank down onto the grass with relief. Glancing at her partner, she noticed with a hint of smugness that he had not been completely unaffected by the day's weather, and he himself had sweat quite a bit.

Neji turned to leave, after having gathered up his scattered kunai.

Tenten bit her lip, wondering whether to make one last ditch effort in convincing him to go somewhere with her. He had refused her many offers multiple times; even her attempts to invite him to eat some ramen at Ichiraku, even though it was clear that Neji was drop dead hungry.

"Hey Neji."

He hned in acknowledgement.

"Do you want to go get a drink with me or something?" Her hope swelled just half a second before it burst.

"No thanks."

Her head drooped slightly in disappointment, though not too much just in case he saw.

"Oh. Maybe next time then."

And with another signature 'hn', he disappeared into the trees, in the direction of the Hyuga compound.

------------

Half an hour later found her wandering through the crowded streets of Konoha, admiring various weapons and items on display, completely skipping over the clothing stores because they were not worth her time.

Her thoughts turned back to the unattainable object of her affections, and really just how stupid it had been of her to fall in love with the stoic, powerful Hyuga Neji.

And it was this subject that sparked the furious debate of, whether Neji cared at all, and whether he would ever acknowledge her in any way other than just a teammate and sparring partner. And every so often she'd pass by the random couple making their disgusting goo goo eyes at each other, and wonder whether they had no shame at all. And then she'd wonder whether she'd ever do that if by some chance her and Neji got together. And then everything would come back full circle and she'd be right where she started. It was quite depressing really.

The simple things though- like handing her his water bottle when he saw she was thirsty, or tending to her first when the team got hurt and made her stay in love so long. And the many years she had spent with him had shown her that the stoic figure was capable of emotions, though he didn't often show it. She felt proud, knowing that she was one of the few people who had seen past the Hyuga mask of ice. Even though it wasn't necessarily her to have cracked the mask, because that honor was undisputedly Naruto's.

You can't force a person to love you. She had realized that after she had watched countless girls around Konoha chase after their crushes of the month.  
So maybe it was better to just not try to break a Hyuga's hard cool exterior, because even after two months of hints and urgings to go with her anywhere, none of it had worked. And she was glad that Neji really didn't seem any the wiser about her affections for him, or else it'd be horribly embarrassing, and downright humiliating if he had noticed but chose to ignore them, or even reject them. Maybe it'd be better, she admitted grudgingly, kicking a stray pebble out of the way. If she quit now, she could get over him, find someone else; start over.

"It's not a horrible idea." She remarked absentmindedly aloud, turning around and starting to make her way back to her apartment.

She knew it'd be hard, because one doesn't fall out of love just like that, and neither does one forget about the person you've been thinking about for the last three years over the course of a day either. But she'd do it, and she'd get over him, and she'd move on.

Her eyes hardened and she steeled her resolve.

She was self-efficient, and had been for most of her life. She had never been boy-crazy like Ino or Sakura, never needing to depend on boys to be her knight-in-shining-armor, and she didn't need to now. She didn't need guys to make her happy. But the idea of having somebody out there just for you was something that Tenten secretly wished were fact, because it's not like she really wanted to be alone for the rest of her life. But if Neji wasn't that guy, well…

She could live with that.

---------

A week later, another scorching day for Konoha. The afternoon's temperature was unbearably steaming, without a cloud in the sky, save for a few wisps here and there.  
It was a quiet day, not many wanting to be out on the streets, preferring the relatively cool atmosphere of their homes, free to blast their air conditioners and settle down for some ice cold lemonades.

But the air was especially thick and heavy in a small western section of Konoha, the villagers living there were quick to note, and had all moved out for the day, hoping to seek refuge with friends or family. It was queer, they had all decided, that only that section of the city would be susceptible to such un-bearing heat, even more so than their friends, who only lived a short while away.

Words could not express the anger and dangerous chakra that rolled off Hyuga Neji in waves as he watched from behind a building, two figures sitting in one of the outdoor tables of a sidewalk café. Inzuka Kiba and Tenten, talking rather animatedly about god-knows-what, rather oblivious to the steaming man just around the corner.

* * *

Please Review. I know it's a bit short but bear with me here, this went through a TON of revisions...you should have seen my first attempts…

Criticisms and ways to improve are appreciated, because I can always improve in some way.


	2. Backtracking

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me.

A/N: I love reviews. And I love YOU, all you lovely people who reviewed, you. ;)

EDIT: was just informed that I messed up Kiba's name. ;) oops. fixed.  
Aaaaanndddd, more edits- 02.5.06

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"And of course, she had to just choose THAT time to tip everything over, ALL OVER every single dog in the whole stupid pen, which THEN caused them all to go crazy-"

Tenten laughed. It was more then she'd laughed in weeks actually, the product of being around Neji all the time. It was a refreshing change. She'd made good on her promise, and although she'd continued to train and spar with Neji at their usual times, she no longer bothered him about going with her places, instead leaving as soon as the sparring sessions were over. She still reminded him to eat, though it remained as just that, reminders. She never forced him anymore, though there was still that nagging feeling buzzing around in the back of her mind making her worry over whether he would collapse from hunger or not.

He never did.

If he had noticed the change, he gave no indication of it, and for that Tenten was insulted and relieved at the same time. Relieved because it meant there would be no embarrassing repercussions of her love, and insulted because it meant that Neji really was that daft, and didn't notice her subtle hints at all. Either that, or maybe Tenten was just REALLY bad at giving hints, though that probably was part of it. She had never been one for tact, preferring to just come right now and say it when she thought something was hideously ugly or stupid. Sakura and Ino had quickly realized that when they had once asked her what she thought of their new outfits.

They never did ask for her opinion on fashion ever again, of course.

She lifted a hand to wipe the sweat of her brow. What was with the heat? Surely it wasn't this hot a while ago? And it was weird, because the heat seemed unnatural, and every so often, she'd sense a faint presence… Very familiar, somebody she knew, but who? There it was again! Actually…it seemed like…Neji? She internally groaned. She'd been thinking way too much about him. It was probably just her imagination.

"Tenten, am I boring you?"

She immediately snapped back to reality, and blushed slightly when she realized she had been staring off into space.

"Sorry Kiba…" she said, embarrassment showing on her now slightly pink cheeks. "Just kinda… zoned there for a minute…" Tenten wiped a bit of sweat off her brow. " I think it's just this insane heat," she grumbled, in an attempt to divert Kiba's attention. " I swear it wasn't this hot fifteen minutes ago."

Inuzuka Kiba. Her newfound friend, even though technically, they had met each other before, namely during the chuunin exams. Their friendship was completely accidental of course. Tenten had been getting some ramen as takeout at Ichiraku's when Kiba had come with Akamaru. He had ordered his ramen of course, and while they were waiting for their respective orders, something had just clicked, and Tenten had found herself opening her takeout at the stand instead. Of course Kiba had been quick to remark on just how stupid it was to order takeout, only to eat it at the ramen stand anyways, but Tenten just smiled and waved it off. Kiba didn't think much of it afterwards. After all, a friend was a friend, and it was nice to be able to talk to a girl that wasn't overly shy, but also didn't care about clothes or appearances, unlike the other ninety percent of girls in Konoha.

" I know. It's probably even worse for Akamaru, since his fur is so thick." Kiba stooped underneath the table to check up on his ever-faithful companion. " You doin' ok, Akamaru?" The small dog yipped softly in response, trying to assure Kiba that he was perfectly fine.

Tenten thought it was amazing the way the Inuzuka's and their canine counterparts could be so in tune with each other. ' It must be nice,' she thought, ' to know that you'd never be alone.'

"Let's just go back home then. We'll see each other tomorrow, and hopefully, it won't be as hot." She offered a sympathetic glance towards Akamaru. " Besides, Akamaru won't be able to take the heat much longer. He's only a dog."

"Not just a dog!" protested Kiba, acting the role of an offended parent defending his child. "Akamaru's amazing! And most other dogs would have fainted by now! And just look at him! He's still able to run around!" Akamaru, as if knowing that he had to live up to something, promptly began to jog around their table, as if to show that he still had an abundant amount of energy left.

Tenten smiled slightly, though not without some mirth. " Yeah, yeah. And if we don't leave now, he'll probably die too. Let's go."

She got up and started to head down the street, not sparing a glance at the duo she'd left behind. Kiba and Akamaru ran to catch up with her. " I'll walk you to your house."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. " Oh? All gentlemanly suddenly?" she snickered.

"I can be a gentlemen!" he protested. " And besides, with a sister like mine, it's hard not to. Do this, do that, and REMEMBER, blah blah blah blah… I usually just tune her out after the first five minutes or so," he said, shaking his head slightly. "I swear; she could talk the hearing out of a rock."

" Rocks can't hear."

"Exactly. That's the point."

Tenten grinned. "Of course it is." The next few minutes passes by in a comfortable silence, and despite all of Tenten's self coaching, she found herself turning her thoughts back to Neji."

"Hey Kiba… Do you have a crush on anybody?" she blurted out in a moment of lost reality.

Kiba's eyebrows shot up, incredulity taking over his features, " And why do you want to know?"

"It's not like I like you or anything," said Tenten, rolling her eyes. She continued after a slight moment's pause. " I was just curious."

He mentally groaned. Girls and their stupid love problems. Didn't they understand that no matter what kind of weird vibe he was giving out, under no circumstances was he a good person to pour your heart out too? Confessing to a person like him was like confessing to a nearby ant. Sure, maybe they'd stand there, look at you, listen, maybe, but in the end; they no more understood what the heck you were trying to say then how the universe began. He sighed. Tenten was a good friend though. He supposed he should at least make an attempt to listen?

" hghhnoialltrau," Kiba muttered. He figured just saying it was the best way to go. He was no good at giving advice.

"What?" asked Tenten. " Speak up. I can't hear a word you're saying."

"Hkkiynagtao"

" Louder."

" Higntya" he ground out, clearly getting annoyed now. Too bad Tenten still didn't understand him.

" I don't understand! Speak louder, dog boy!"

" HINATA, OK? HYUGA HINATA. HI-NA-TA. HAPPY?"

Kiba braced himself for the teasing that was sure to follow, and was not disappointed. Tenten grinned, and let out a big "awwwwww…" Her smile widened. " That's so cute."

" I know. Drop it. Moving on. You asked me the question in the first place. And who could the great untouchable _Tenten_ have a crush on?" He said sarcastically.

"None of your concern." She waved off carelessly, now realizing that it was stupid to be asking Kiba of all people for advice, since it was so obvious that he really, REALLY did not want to listen to her little problems.

And they continued towards Tenten's apartment, chatting about completely random things, their previous conversation forgotten, much to the Tenten's relief.

----

Neji had been skillfully following them the whole time, careful to keep out of sight. He had also kept his emotions under control. Tenten was not dumb or stupid, and would surely sense him if he continued on with his careless actions. Seriously. Why was he following her in the first place? He had no idea what had possessed him to care so much, or why his emotions had burst completely out of control upon seeing his partner and the Inuzuka boy together. And right now, he really wanted to bang his head against something, if only maybe to knock these feelings out. It was undignified of A Hyuga to do so, and that was the only thing keeping him from attempting it.

The Hyuga continued, watching Tenten and Kiba in secret. He was undoubtedly curious as to what the Inuzuka boy had that was interesting enough to keep Tenten's attention so riveted on him. And it frustrated him to no end.

----

They soon reached Tenten's apartment, and Kiba and Akamaru said their goodbyes, heading off down the street towards their own house. Tenten grinned at the sight of Kiba assuring that Akamaru would get his dog food as soon as they got home. How did they understand what each other were saying, she wondered. And then she observed him lifting Akamaru up and carrying him, relieving his pet of a couple minutes walk, though she could see that Akamaru clearly wanted to prove his worth and strength. The small animal was squirming entirely too much when he had just gotten a free ride home, in Tenten's opinion. He'd make a good boyfriend for Hinata, she though with a smile. He's got all the right stuff, not that she felt anything or something like that.

Really, she couldn't see Kiba as anybody other than a friend, though the thought of something more had crossed her mind more than a few times during the first few hours of their meeting. He was a good conversationalist, and he made her laugh, but there was just no spark that made him stand out.

But Hyuga Neji didn't know that.

And jealousy can sometimes lead a man to do weird and completely unheard of things. Things that weren't like them at all. Which probably explained a large part of why he was striding over to Tenten as fast as possible without losing the ever-present Hyuga grace, leaking dangerous amounts of venomous killing intent.

" Tenten. I need to talk to you."

Turning around, a bit of colour leaked from Tenten's face when she saw who it was.

" H--h-ey…." She fought to keep her voice under control. " What are you doing here, Neji?"

" What are you doing with him?"

Tenten was mildly surprised. " With Kiba?"

" Yes." Neji ground out between clenched teeth, fury leaking through his eyes in fearsome bursts.

"Why do you care?" said Tenten, eyes narrowing. 'NOW you care.' She thought to herself with a bit of anger. She had wished for Neji to acknowledge her and goddamn CARE for three years, and when she finally decided to give up on him, it's THEN that he starts caring. ' Well, it's too late buddy.' She thought.

" Hmm?" Tenten demanded in response to Neji's silence. After a moment's pause, her eyes softened and she sighed." Kiba and I are friends, Neji. And he's actually a very good friend. We have a lot in common."

Tenten noticed as Neji's eyes clouded over and shifted once again. " You should stay away from him." Neji stated simply.

Now this got a rise out of Tenten. " Who are YOU to decide who should and who shouldn't be my friend?" she asked in the coldest voice she could muster in this sort of situation. " You're not THAT special."

Neji was internally surprised at that. " I don't understand why you are making such a big deal of this. You could even say I'm looking out for you. That Inuzuka boy could hurt you," He said calmly.

" Just like you hurt me?" she said bitterly aloud before she could stop herself. _Shit._

Neji's eyes became puzzled, but he said nothing, waiting for her to continue and explain herself.

'Figures that something as simple as a crush would elude the mind of the Hyuga prodigy, much less love.' Tenten thought. "Never mind." She said aloud, mentally berating herself for her little slip.

"I want to know."

"Well that's too bad, now isn't it?"

She turned to leave, praying to God that he'd let her leave so she could escape before she incriminated herself even more. She had no such luck. He grabbed her hand, spinning her around and bringing her to a stop in front of him. His hands held her in place on her shoulders.

"I want to know."

Tenten bit her lip, though still standing her ground. The icy glare the Hyuga was giving her was nothing new; he'd given it to her a thousand times before. "If that look is supposed to get me to confess, it's not working."

"You're being foolish Tenten. Just tell me."

She mentally beat herself with a stick. Why in god's NAME would he want to know anyways? It was completely ridiculous. Why did Hyuga's have to have such stupid superiority complexes, always needing to know every single little thing? He was still looking at her expectantly, hands still on her shoulders, keeping their gazes locked.

"Why would you want to know anyways, Neji?"

"A team with a loss of trust is an ineffective team. And I refuse to be on a weak team." But was that really all? Neji wasn't really sure, because that weird feeling of anger was still burning, aching to know in what way had he hurt her.

"Tell me," he tried one last time.

Tenten's shoulders sagged; she knew she was beaten. She managed to rip her eyes away from his, instead choosing to keep her gaze locked on the ground.

"I loved you."

It came out like a whisper, barely audible, though the Hyuga's sensitive ears picked it up. Tenten shut her eyes, feeling the tears start to flow. 'Stay in damnit! STAY IN!' she screamed mentally. She couldn't lose it now. It was completely ironic, that even after all that secrecy and hinting, it would all come out like this.

"That isn't funny Tenten."

"And why would I lie about something like this! I liked you for three years Neji. Three years! I could even come close to say that I loved you!" Her voice slowly escalated from a whisper to a yell, the only thought was, ' I can't believe it's coming out like this.'

"But you're so damn daft, in your entire stoic Hyuga-ness, and you didn't even realize it! I'm sick of waiting around for you to notice me, for you to acknowledge me, to see me as something more as the person you like to beat up everyday in spars!" Tenten couldn't control it, and it was all coming out in waves now. The only satisfaction was probably Neji's face, which showed an emotion something other than its normal coolness. " And you know what? I give up. I give up trying to get through to your stupid big fat swelled head. Because I've finally come to realize after three years, that you're not worth it. And I'll be over you, and you can live the rest of your hollow life with nothing at all. Goodbye." She wrenched herself out of Neji's grasp, and turned around to run; heart pounding. She ran through her apartment building door, taking a left in the lobby so that she could run up the stairs all the way the fifth floor to her apartment.

Tears were leaking out, and no amount of self-control could keep them in now. She only hoped she'd last long enough to get through her door first before she completely broke down. Finally getting through her door, she closed it shut with a slam and leaned on it from inside. She cried. Cried everything out, and cried away her feelings. In the morning she'd be better. Tenten slid down and sat, resting her back against her polished wood door. She didn't know what had possessed her to confess, but it was done now. She was so entirely stupid! Banging her head once or twice, she hoped it would just all go away. Tenten groaned.

And just like that, she'd handed her pride and dignity to Hyuga Neji on a platter. How self-sufficient was she? Certainly not enough to live up to the expectations she'd set herself.

"I don't think I'll be getting any sleep tonight." She thought with a sad smile. " I've got a lot of brooding to do."

* * *

Uh huh. Ch 2 done. Yay-ness.

Reviews?


	3. Start Over

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me.

A/N: 3rd chapter..and loves to all of you who reviewed. I hope the chapter meets all of your expectations and more, and for any that might have thought that Tenten had become sappy; a very loud NO can be heard from this authoress. :P because Tenten is STILL self-sufficient, or would at least like to be considered that way.

...more edits. same as the other chapters. -02.5.06

* * *

It was a terrible night for Tenten, with her trying in vain to have some sort of peaceful sleep. The few precious moments she had gotten had been fitful, not very relaxing at all. She had vaguely remembered checking her bedside clock multiple times after what seemed like eternities to see what time it was now, only to her dismay to find that only a couple of minutes had passed since her last check up. It was increasingly tiring to have to keep craning her head out of bed to see the small portable clock on her bedside table, and had eventually given up and just took it and left it right next to the pillow, where she could stare at it in peace.

In the end, it was the early hours of the morning when Tenten finally fell asleep from pure exhaustion. The next morning was definitely not going to be a pleasant one, she thought to herself before she finally dozed off.

_She stood in a field, the sun high above in clear pale blue skies, and the deep pale green grass swaying in the wind by her feet. It was near flat, save for one scraggly looking tree that looked to have gone through years of abuse by humans. And she looked around, clearly perplexed. Her mind did not grasp the fact that this was a dream, and puzzled over the fact of why she had come to this empty little field. _

The sounds of clanging metal and tearing flesh met her ears, and she winced in pain for whoever had just died as she heard a loud thud that seemed to resound for miles. The air and space shifted, and suddenly, Tenten could see two warriors who had just fought what had sounded like a fearsome duel.

Her earlier instincts had been correct, and one man was already down, lying in a pool of his own blood. The other warrior stood calmly, watching his fallen opponent in disdain. Tenten stood shocked, and watched as the still standing warrior give no mercy to the dying man on the ground, who was holding on to his last breath with the last of his strength. She felt compassion for that fallen man, wondering how that first one could be so cruel as she witnessed him plunge his katana into the fallen man's throat.

Blood spurted out, covering the remaining warrior, and the air shifted yet again.

_The warrior took on different features, though it was clear that they were still undeniably masculine. His hair now hung free, swaying in the light breeze, features transforming into a remarkably familiar face. _

_It was Neji. _

_Tenten gulped, stepping closer to see who the dead man had now become. She dreaded what she would see. Her breath caught in her throat. _

Her own empty eyes stared blankly up at the pale, pale sky.

She gasped as she snapped up straight, sweat glistening in the morning light. She checked her clock- 8:30a.m. Breathing heavily as she recounted her dream, she groaned. Now she was even dreaming about the man. She breathed a sigh of relief that she had no missions for the day, or else Tsunade-sama would have killed her; Ninjas on duty were supposed to report in at 7:00. But today had been a special case. With the Leaf at tentative war with the sound, regular civilians and villagers had laid off of asking for missions. Tentative because the war could launch full-scale any day now and several fights had broken out already, but there was no official declaration. And so the Leaf sat in wait for Orochimaru's next strike. The few missions they did get were menial, stay-in-the-city jobs, perfect for beginner genin still learning teamwork. News had spread, and foreigners went to the Mist or the Stone instead to fulfill their jobs, not wanting to get caught up in the mess that was the traitorous Sannin.

Tenten got out of bed slowly, stretching her muscles tiredly from the cramps that she had accumulated during the night. She made her way to her bathroom, and gazed at her reflection while she brushed her teeth. She was a terrible mess, hair mangled, redness covering her cheeks and black circles adorning her eyes.

God, she needed some coffee.

She made her way into the kitchen in her pajamas, sleepily rubbing her eyes while brewing a fresh pot. Fifteen minutes and three mugs of coffee later, she felt as though she could at least attempt to start the day. She was back in her room and pulling on her Chinese collared shirt when the doorbell rang.

"Just a minute!" Tenten said to whoever was outside her door, trying to pull on her pants in a hurry.

The doorbell rang again. Once, twice, three times. "JUST A MINUTE!" yelled Tenten, hoping the daft person on the other side would get the hint and shut up.

The doorbell rang again.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Tenten screamed. She hurried to her door, finally finished, hastily undoing the locks and yanking her door open. "WHAT?" she spat.

The genin took one look at her furious state and gulped. " S-s-o-rrry… but Tsunade-sama asked me to come get…" He hesitated for a moment, trying to recall the name he'd been given. "Tenten? She said it was urgent."

Tenten took a deep breath, schooling her features once more. " Yeah, that would be me, tell her I'll be there in five minutes."

"Ok." The genin sped off, eager to get away from the angry jounin and be done with the mission. First it was Hyuga-san; then it was Tenten-san. God, those jounins were strong and helpful and all in their helping the village outside the borders, but they sure were SCARY.

--------

Hyuga Neji was unnerved, to say in the least. He had just witnessed a love confession made by his best sparring partner and fellow team member. Neji hadn't even tried to sleep, knowing he wouldn't have gotten very far anyways. Above all, Hyuga Neji was a man of sense. He knew that a year ago, he would have scoffed at the display he had witnessed, even if it were Tenten. Except now, he wasn't so sure. Something had changed in the past year, and he found himself watching Tenten with more than just a friend's eye.

And it made him nervous.

Which was why Hyuga Neji was out in a forest far from the Hyuga Compund at 8:45 in the morning meditating. He had actually been there since 6:00, and one could only wonder how a normal, sane person could stand not moving an inch for over two hours. But Neji is not a normal person, and one can suppose that if anybody can, it's Neji. His little brooding session would be over soon anyways; he needed to report in for a mission in five minutes. A genin had come to fetch him earlier on, and Neji had no doubt that he had scared the messenger thoroughly.

He still wasn't exactly sure what to make of this confession, and thought it best just to leave it for now. It would be so much easier just to pretend that it never happened. But it was unexplainable. A part of him didn't want to just let it go.

And that confused him more than he cared to admit.

-------

Four people stood assembled in front of the Godaime's desk, waiting in anticipation for what their mission was to be. Among them were Inzuka Kiba, Tenten, Haruno Sakura, and last but not least, Hyuga Neji. It seemed as though Konoha's heat spell was letting up at last, and the cool East breeze was blowing pleasantly throughout Konoha. The little gusts, which wafted in through the open window, were cool and refreshing.

"Your mission," Tsunade-sama began, " Is infiltration. We don't need any bloodshed if we can help it; it's only a mere information-gathering trip. Use force if the situation arises. And before you ask me why you're going on a mission on such short notice," she replied, effectively cutting off Tenten, who was just about to ask that same question. "It's because I only got word of this earlier today. I need somebody to do this before it becomes anything bigger. And besides-" Tsunade looked pointedly at Tenten. " You shouldn't be questioning orders in the first place." Tenten gulped.

"Which village are we going to?" asked Sakura.

"This won't be in a village. There's a group of stone-nin hiding out Sixteen miles away from Konoha. We don't know they're purpose, but word from our spies in the Stone have reported that there's been a meeting of council elders almost every night so far. They're cooking up something big, and I don't like it. But we don't know if this effects Konoha at all, so we need to send someone to check this out." Tsunade's eyes hardened. "They could be a major threat. The stone-nin assembled seems to be incredibly strong, and we don't know if there's any more that we haven't discovered hanging about. You'll most likely see fight on this mission."

Hyuga Neji hned. "Yes, hokage-sama"

"You'll be captain on this mission, Neji. With your byakugan, you're the natural choice."

"Thank you, hokage-sama

Tsunade merely nodded, a silent gesture for them to begin. "Good luck."

The four ninja walked out and agreed to meet at the front gate in an hour so they could pack. Tenten quickly agreed, not meeting Neji's eyes all the while before dashing off. Kiba only watched silently as he also observed Neji's eyes unusually blank, even more so than usually. They were… cold. Empty. And Void. It sent shivers down his spine. 'Those two probably got some issues they need to work out.' He thought. 'Hope it doesn't interfere with the mission. And hope that they get over whatever it is they're angsting over.' He added on as an afterthought, shaking his head.

-----

The four-man team as well as a dog had left Konoha gates a while ago, heading off down the dirt path road, before slipping quietly into the forest at Neji's lead. Tsunade had offered a map with the approximate location of the stone-nins, where they had been when the hokage's sources had found them. With any luck, they would still be there.

The whole journey had been tense. Tenten, to the untrained eye was perfectly calm, though to Neji it was perfectly clear that she was troubled. She continued on determinedly though, eyes focused straight, entirely different from the usual habits of darting her eyes here and there, observing her surroundings. Neji gave no hint that anything was wrong, and continued on as he would normally, though upon extremely close observation, one would find that he was rather rigid, without the incredible fluidness and gracefulness that was nearly always present. Not that it mattered much of course. Kiba, in the end, gave up caring about his two teammates, and instead thought that he might as well be the only team member to have his whole mind fully focused on the mission. It was all he could do. Sakura remained unaware, content in following Tsunade-sama's orders. She was rather oblivious, one would say. If Neji had noticed, he would have scoffed. But he didn't, which said something for the state of his mind.

Tenten was trying her hardest to look at anything other than Neji. She knew that a good shinobi kept a lookout for her surroundings, though she found that when she did look around, she ended up gazing at Neji instead. The man in question, had yet to notice her stares, the small glimpses they were. In the end, she had just given up, instead keeping her gaze pin straight into the masses of trees rising in front of them. She cursed herself for her weakness. Tenten was not weak. And she could go on just as perfectly as she did before. She refused to think of him, and continue on with her vow of last week. Get over Hyuga Neji. It was folly, what she had done yesterday, and now she had to redeem herself. She'd be all right. She hoped that is.

They were about a mile away when they were ambushed. The stone-nin had changed positions since they had been seen last, and had hidden in the bushes, waiting for their arrival. The stone-nin were good, Tenten had to admit, if they were able to hide their chakra so well. It was Neji in the end that sensed them moments before the first kunai wizzed by Sakura's head, signaling to his teammates to prepare for battle. It was too late, and the stone-nins already knew they were there. 'Somebody must have leaked the information that they would come' Tenten thought as she readied her weapons and began to dodge the onslaught of attacks that had started to rain down upon her. 'Or maybe we've been set up' She quickly glanced around, and saw that her teammates had found their own opponents to deal with.

She quickly grabbed her scrolls, undoing them and throwing them up in the air, fluidly leaping up into the center of it.

"Soushouryu!"

Weapons rained own, injuring many an opponent.

-----

Kiba was holding his own, and smirked as he saw Tenten's barrage of weapons hit almost all their targets.

" Lets go Akamaru!"

the dog yipped, and sank down into position, fangs bearing.

"Gatsuuga!" Man and beast immediately became one, beast taking on the features of his master. They spun and rushed towards the opponent, effectively killing two stone-nins.

" Two down, about a hundred left to go." He wasn't really sure how many nin were out there, but however many there were, he would be ready.

----

Neji had long since disposed of his opponents, and was now working on a third, a fourth, and so on. Right now, he was guarding Sakura, who was the medic-nin of the group, and though she wasn't without abilities, her skills were better geared towards medical jutsus. You never know when you would need a medic, and it was better to keep her safe.

His hands were rather full right now; the enemy seemingly had pinpointed him as the strongest of the group, and had decided he would be first priority. He was sweating now, beads running down the side of his face in a thin river. He dodged and punched, the enemy's blood spattering all over his shirt. He grimaced when he sensed a barrage of weapons heading his way, jumping; he twisted in the air to avoid being hit.

He was holding well, every dodge, punch and kick perfectly executed to meet Hyuga Neji's high expectations, though to a trained eye, one could see that he was starting to falter. He had tried earlier to reason with the stone-nin, making it painfully clear that they didn't want to fight them while in the process dodging multiple attacks. It was easy to say, the stone-nin had paid no heed.

A kunai shot from a bush and streaked towards Neji's head. Neji eyes widened. He couldn't stop it; it was too close. He prepared himself for impact before a figure shot in front of him, catching the kunai before hurling it back into the bushes. Blood spurted from the plant, and the stone-nin hiding within it fell out, dead; the kunai lodged in his eye.

"You should be more careful, loser." Tenten flipped and spun, kicking another enemy in the stomach before turning to look at Neji. She hadn't been able to resist with that remark at the end, though she secretly wondered if maybe that was just a ploy to show that absolutely nothing was wrong. It worked surprisingly well.

Neji smirked, and in the blink of an eye reappeared behind Tenten to catch a shuriken that had been aimed for her. " You should be more careful yourself." He whispered in her ear from behind. He flung the weapon back at the holder, and though it did not succeed in killing the stone-nin, Neji rushing up with a kunai several seconds later sure did.

Tenten reddened slightly, embarrassed to be caught off guard. "Stupid." She muttered to herself before turning her attention back to the battle. But not before noticing the tingling sensation that was affecting her ear where Neji's hot breath had come in contact with her skin.

Another five minutes of battle passed, ninjas on both sides now clearly looking worse for the wear. There were only about ten of the enemy left, though it was clear that about four of them were still mere chuunins, while Neji, Kiba, Sakura and Tenten were all either jounin or ANBU members.

Another block, another hit, and another kick, and the fight continued. Luck though, clearly wasn't on Tenten's side, as was evident when a chunnin's kunai streaked towards her heart, while the weapon's master remained oblivious to its existence. It was shameful for a shinobi of her calibre to be so neglectful, but she was a little tied up at the moment with a stone jounin.

Sakura had noticed though, having just finished off another two chuunin. " TENTEN!"

Neji, hearing the cry, quickly finished off his opponent and turned around to catch of sight of the deadly kunai making its way ever closer towards Tenten's body.

And he could do nothing but watch.

* * *

End. Cliff?

Reviews maybe?


	4. Change of Plans

**Disclaimer: **Naruto doesn't belong to me

A/N: Somehow… I think a lot of you are going to be maadddd by the time you get to the end of this chapter….ahem.

* * *

Another block, another kick, and he was down. Faintly aware of the large gash in her side, Tenten sighed in relief, immediately regaining her senses, to take a look around.

"TENTEN!"

'Wha-?"

Her eyes widened at the kunai speeding her way, vaguely noticing Neji's look of urgency, Sakura's stricken face, and Kiba altogether to occupied fighting an enemy. She turned on instinct, fighting to get out of the way.

Not fast enough.

It plunged into her rib, just under her heart, and Tenten's sight started to blur, pain shooting in hot bursts that scorched her body. _Shit._ She winced from the pain, faintly aware of her own actions, and ripped the weapon out of her with a growl and flung it back at the chuunin. It imbedded itself in the chuunin's neck before the he even knew what was going on, and he fell down dead with shock imprinted on his face. Blood was spurting from the wound in Tenten's side, blood dripping down, and her breath was becoming slightly labored from the extreme pain. But she was still alive. And that was all that mattered.

Neji heard the small sigh of relief that came from Sakura.

"Yo! What the heck are you guys doing just standing there?" barked Kiba, who was holding off two of the enemy on his own. "Stop gawking and fight!" he bit out, struggling against the two stone jounin. Sakura quickly snapped out of it and hurried over to the dog-users help, effectively blasting one away with a perfectly executed chakra enhanced punch.

Neji himself berated himself for a split second for his foolishness before turning and facing another stone jounin, determination glinting. He cast a quick glance at Tenten, who although was incapacitated, had managed to cut down the remaining chuunin who thought that she'd be an easy picking. As expected.

----

Searing pain coursed through all of Tenten's right side, the result of the kunai. She growled, her vision slowly fading. She had killed one more, yes, but that was merely a low-level chuunin, and she knew she couldn't take on another jounin on her own. She was exhausted, on the verge of collapse, and the enormous pain inflicting her did not help a bit.

She instead retreated to behind a tree, taking care to make sure the stone ninjas did not notice her leaving. Huddled in the bushes and cradling her side, it was another 10 minutes before it seemed as though the last of the enemy was dead, as she no longer heard any more screams.

"Tenten? Where are you?"

She sighed in relief at the side of Kiba's voice, before managing to get up on her feet with the tree's support and revealing her location. " I'm here." She managed, already weakness addling her. She saw Neji make her way towards her in her warped vision, with a rather strange emotion adorning his face, one she couldn't properly identify in her current state. If she didn't know any better, she would have assumed that that was worry that was being emitted from the clear depths of the Hyuga's eyes. ' It couldn't be." Tenten dismissed.

She swayed, eyes closing, though still fighting to keep conscious. "Tenten! Are you alr-"  
Neji asked, though she never got to hear the rest as she welcomed the darkness that enveloped her vision.

----

It was Kiba who caught her, rushing over to her side, slowly laying her down on a patch of ground that was not stained with blood. " Sakura, you think you can heal this?"  
Sakura bit her lip. The fight had tired her, though not so much as the rest of her teammates. But healing such a deep wound while taking care of her teammates would surely bring her chakra to dangerously low levels. They all sported various gashes, burns and cuts, some shallow, some deep.

"I'll do what I can, and bandage it, but I need to heal everybody else's wounds too."

Neji scowled. "I don't need healing. Just use my portion for Tenten." Sakura raised her eyebrows. " At least let me heal your leg. We need to hurry back to Konoha so that Tenten's wound won't get any worse, and we can't do it when some of us can't run as well."

Neji gave in, turning away. " Do whatever you like."

"Fine."

They moved to a new clearing, to be away from the bloody battlefield before Sakura began to heal the wounds of her teammates. Tenten remained unconscious, her wound now a slightly bit more shallow, and bandaged with linen that was now already slightly stained with blood. Sakura bit her lip, watching the blood slowly seep back into the bandage she had used to cover the gaping wound after only ten minutes.

" It's no good. I can't use any more chakra now or I won't be able to walk, and then you'll have two unconscious bodies to deal with. The best chance is just to head back to Konoha as soon as possible so that the wound can be treated."

Kiba nodded, showing he understood, before stooping to pick up, lifting her up so that she was riding piggy-back on his back. " Let's go then."

"Neji nodded, and the three took off towards the South towards Konoha, home, and the hospital. Although one should have been remained alert, even after the battle was over, Neji found it hard to do so, with Tenten unconscious on the dog boy's back of all people.

He understood that it would be stupid for Sakura to carry Tenten back, but that didn't mean he had to like the fact that Kiba was the only one left. The idea of him carrying his former team cell partner was completely out of the question of course. There was no use brooding over it now, and instead, Neji turned his thoughts on the need to return to Konoha as quickly as possible, and just what was his feelings for a certain kunoichi, because that feeling was starting again, and he still didn't know what to do about it.

He was not stupid, so he was not too blind to see that his feelings for Tenten had already reached a level beyond friendship. But just how far it had gone was the question, and somehow, Neji was deathly afraid at what the final answer would be. He recognized the fact that seeing Tenten with Kiba the other day made him jealous, and that when Tenten had made her confession, his heart had momentarily risen to fill his chest, though he hastily pushed it back down again.

Neji picked up his pace, now at his place at the front, as was customary of the Team Captain. They needed to get to Konoha soon. Then Tenten could get treated.

But surely, that didn't mean that he loved her in any way. It wasn't possible. But the feeling seemed more and more plausible over the minutes, though he racked his brain for different answers. But in the end, for God's sake, he just wanted his heart to stop his heart from thudding so heavily whenever he thought of her dying because he couldn't make it in time.

He disgusted himself. This behavior was so far from what he usually acted that it made him nervous. What was even scarier was that he wasn't sure whether he wanted to go back to his normal stoic cover. But then again, a part of him did. It was a confusing jumbled mess, one that he just wanted to disappear.

The journey, in their currently weakened state since Sakura couldn't fully heal everyone took half a day, and a half a day longer than Neji would have liked.

" I'll go report to Tsunade-sama." Said Sakura, once they were safely back within Konoha's gates. Kiba was carrying Tenten and Neji would probably want to stay with his teammate, so the two were the obvious choice. " You two go on ahead, I'll meet up with you guys later."

The two men nodded in affirmation, before turning and leaping onto the closest building and disappearing in the direction of the hospital. Sakura then turned in the direction of the Hokage tower and hurried off report. She hoped Tenten would be ok.

------

Twenty minutes later, and Tenten was at the moment being treated for her wounds in one of the emergency rooms; she had lost quite a bit of blood. Neji just couldn't stand it anymore, standing out there in the hall wondering what had happened to her. He felt urgency, and his body refused to let him rest and sit down. He let out a noise of frustration, before informing Kiba that he would return tomorrow before turning to stride off.

He just needed to get away from it for a while. So he did what he normally did when he had to calm down. Exiting the hospital through the open window in the next hall, and leaping down into the courtyard, he made his way through the town towards the forests on the western edge of Konoha, where he and Tenten usually sparred. He settled himself on top of a rock in the middle of a clearing, and meditated, taking on his stance, sitting down with his legs crossed. His eyes closed, he cut himself off from rest of the world, losing himself in thoughts and memories that really made no sense at all.

He neither moved nor twitched, his breathing rhythmic and solid.

_What did he think of Tenten? _

A good sparring partner. Somebody to depend on. Was there anything else?

Was there the possibility of something more?

It was nightfall when he opened his eyes, the stars having come out a short while before. His thoughts were clear now, though by no means was it at ease. And as for Tenten, they needed to talk. She was causing him to lose concentration, and it was something he couldn't afford. But to lose Tenten instead? Out of the question. He realized that now.

He would talk to Tenten tomorrow.

-----

Tenten woke to blinding sunshine streaming through the drab, curtain-less hospital windows. She rubbed her eyes groggily, vaguely aware of the slight throb in her right side, though it was only noticed if she looked for it. As the mission came back to her, she checked herself for and scars or bruises, to find that most of her cuts and gashes had been healed, though the kunai wound now had a black and blue bruise that hurt whenever she twisted her body. ' It's better than I thought.' She said to herself, inspecting the wound before propping her pillows up so that she could sit without having the bedposts digging into her back. She noticed that somebody had left flowers- yarrow, representing healing. She smiled at the gesture, wondering who brought it.

A nurse than knocked and walked in at the sound of Tenten's 'Come in.' " How are you feeling?" the nurse asked as she set Tenten's lunch down on the small bedside table.

" Just fine thanks." Replied Tenten with a smile. " Just wondering, who brought flowers?"

"I think it was Haruno-san, she said something about getting her friend Yamanaka-san to help her pick out flowers. She brought it by here early this morning, but you weren't awake yet. It's around 12:30 now."

"Oh. Ok." Answered Tenten, feeling slightly disappointed at the response, though it was nice of Sakura to bring her flowers. She supposed a part of her had wanted for it to be Neji who had gone to the trouble of getting her flowers, though thinking it over now, the idea of it seemed absurd. Flowers and Hyuga Neji simply didn't mix, and since when did Hyuga have the thoughtfulness for flowers anyways? Actually, since when would he take the time to learn the meanings of flowers?

" I'll leave you with your lunch now." Said the nurse as she checked marked something on the clipboard that hung at the foot of her bed. " You should probably be able to leave later today, your wounds aren't that bad."

Tenten smiled at that. Good. She could leave the hospital soon. She watched as the nurse leave but not before Tenten requested for her to leave the door open, before carefully lifting up the tray of food onto her lap and starting to drink her soup. With the door closed, the room was too empty, too lonely, and too bare, and it just didn't feel right. Looking back on her bedside table after she was done lunch, she realized somebody had left a book on weapons there for her. 'Why not.' Thought Tenten as she picked up the book and flipped to the first page. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do.

Fifteen minutes later, and she was still on the first page.

_The use of weapons is a subtle art, one that many do not take the time to appreciate for lack of its flashiness and all around power. _

She blinked, realizing she'd been reading the same line over and over for the past 10 minutes. It wasn't that the book was boring, though she supposed that had something to do with it too.

_Hyuga Karu, being the first to- _hmm… the Hyuga's? Neji? Wait.

She groaned. So it all came back to him huh? She threw the book across the room, flopping back into a sleeping position and closing her eyes. How do I forget thee? Let me count the ways…

----

Neji made his way along the halls in the hospital towards Tenten's hospital room, guided by a nurse who said that she was on her way there anyways to inform Tenten that she could leave. He had debated with himself all day on whether to come to the hospital or not, finally giving in when he realized it was nearly 3:00. It was perfect timing, actually, for him to be here the nurse had remarked.

As he got closer towards an open door to a room that he supposed was Tenten's, he noticed two guys around his age hanging around, clearly not ninja with their lazy stances and carefree smiles, and caught a bit of their conversation.

"Wonder what that chick is here for." Said one boy as he gazed into the room.

"Dunno. But she's hot. Maybe…" The other boy answered, though at that point Neji just shut out the vulgar conversation he was listening to, disgusted by the two boys. Seriously. They were twenty; you'd think that by then that the hormonal phase would have moved on already.

One of the two approached them, stopping in front of the nurse. " Excuse me, I was wondering what that girl in that room-" he pointed at Tenten's open door " was in for. She doesn't seem to be the type to get herself hurt."

The nurse frowned. " I'm not supposed to be giving out that kind of information to people-"

" Please?" the boy urged again. Neji was disgusted by now, that such idiotic boys would think that they could ever have a chance with to somebody like Tenten, especially when they weren't even ninja. It was obvious they wanted to be some sort of relief or help to a hurt girl in a hospital. He scowled, before cutting his way into their conversation."

"She got hurt on a mission. Now move." stated Neji coldly.

"Dude, it's not like you own this hallway. I don't have to move if I don't want to." The boy said carelessly. "And what do you mean _mission_? It's not like-"

" Excuse me, Hyuga-san, we aren't supposed to be giving out patient information!" protested the nurse, interrupting the boy. "I'm sorry." Neji just answered calmly, smugly noticing that the two boys had realized that the man before them was of the Hyuga clan, and was really quite influential around Konoha.

"H-h-ey-y.. sorry man, you know, just want to help… you know…"

The nurse huffed indignantly before continuing into Tenten's door. Neji followed, stopping to give the two boys around a glare that clearly meant 'get lost', of which the two boys willingly complied and ran off down the hall.

Wimps.

He went into Tenten's room, and watched as the nurse informed the girl that she could leave now, and that she was perfectly ok. Tenten thanked her, before getting out of bed and noticing that Neji was there.

Tenten stiffened, before getting out a "Hey Neji." She quickly recomposed herself, saying bye to the nurse who was leaving and proceeding to gather her clothes and Konoha headband. "Um… Neji, if you want to wait, I'll be right back, I just need to change." Neji nodded, before seating himself in a conveniently placed chair beside the door to wait.

In the attached bathroom, Tenten was getting nervous. It was only natural for a one to be visiting a hurt teammate, and Neji probably treated this visit as one. But she had just spent a quarter of an hour fighting her feelings again and succeeding somewhat, and she was slightly hoping that her resolve would last longer than a week. Neji really wasn't making this easier. Changing quickly, she walked back into the hospital room, recomposing her face into one of calm indifference. She was just about to ask Neji how Kiba and Sakura had fared when the Hyuga beat her into speaking.

"We need to talk."

Tenten lost her mask for a fraction of a second, dreading what was to come. She had a bad feeling about this. "Sure." She answered stiffly.

"Not here." Neji said. " In the forest."

"Fine."

The walk there was awkward. They looked at everything except each other, a space left in between them wide enough for another person to cut through. And in fact, many did. It seemed that a million years had passed before they had finally arrived at the clearing that they usually sparred at.

Neji had never really known how to convey feelings, and the act of subtlety really wasn't his specialty, and right now, he was feeling rather nervous, not that there was any indication on the outside of course. He decided instead once they had both sat upon the grass to just come out with it, because the faster this happened, the faster it was over.

"Do you like me?" He needed to make sure, to understand.

It was silent for a moment. And Tenten wondered in shock if he had lost his mind. But how did she feel? The feelings hadn't subsided fully, and she knew that if she allowed herself, the feelings would come back full force. But why was Neji asking? She wasn't going to be humiliated and hurt again. She bit her lip. She had to say something soon; the silence had already been too long. The internal answer was _yes,_ but she knew she would die before she said that.

" I don't know."

* * *

…reviews? They'll bring out the next chapter faster?

I think I have a fetish with cliffhangers. I'm sorry...

and btw, the next chapter is the LAST chapter. Yes, it's a short story. So review.


	5. Something Completely Different

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me…

A/N: humm…. I can't write romance, I find. At least not very well. So sorry if I've completely mangled up your idea of a perfect ending. Feel free to leave any comments/criticisms on how to improve.

* * *

" _I don't know."_

It sounded foolish, even to Tenten's ears. But what could she do? She wasn't really sure of most things anymore, only basic instincts and the remnants of romantic feelings.

She noticed Neji watching her, as if not sure what to say. And truthfully, Neji didn't.

"You don't know?"

"Yeah."

Tenten felt just a bit awkward now, and averted her eyes from his piercing gaze.

Her method of forgetting Neji had been ridiculously simple- stop thinking about him, preoccupy yourself, and control herself. And now, 2 weeks after, that goal of hers so long ago didn't seem so far away. Maybe it had been just the thought of loving Neji, having the security of loving someone who ultimately would never change too much, that had given her comfort.

It was that trait that she had loved so much about him in the first place, and what had made her fall in love in the first place. And she wasn't going to deny it; she had loved him.

Was this supposed to be another chance? A part of her hoped it would be, though an equally as pushy part of her screamed for her to get a grip and stop acting like a lovesick fool. She hated being weak and compared to the rest of the girls in Konoha. She prided herself on being somebody that could easily fit into a male shinobi society of battle.

Tenten looked back at him, wondering just what he thought. She had no idea if this was just his way of telling her that her love was weak or that he could never think of loving her. But it hurt, to know that she might have lost the first man she loved as a friend. Neji was dependable as a friend above all else. And it was the most important thought running through her mind right then, so she decided to just state it.

_If you love something, set it free…_

"Look Neji." She said with her eyes averting once again to rest on a tree behind him. "I know that love is weak, and loving…you above all else was foolish, or in your eyes anyways."

She continued desperately, noticing something change in the Hyuga's blank face. Panic shot through her. " But I have been trying to get over you, and I do think it's working, and really, I just really don't want to lose you as a friend."

" And… it would just make things awkward if we were at odds on missions, and…" she was just rambling now, not really knowing how to stop. But the emotion that she thought resembled resentment on his face made her heart clench horribly. '_Get a GRIP on yourself!_' she thought to herself silently, finally stopping to take a deep breath.

She finally just sagged, the wind blown out of her sails. "I'm just rambling like an idiot here." She sighed. "Look, I know I'm weak, but I'm getting stronger, and I don't want to have to stop sparring with you because then I really will fall behind. I don't want to lose you as a friend, because you're…good one… I guess and it would make things fall apart for the team and I know how much you hate failures."

"So…even if you think me stupid now, or hate me, I'm sorry. But if you don't want to stay friends, I understand." She finished, daring to raise her eyes to meet his. Because she wasn't going to show him that she was weak, no matter how much she just wanted to sink onto the grass and lie there.

"Are you quite done?"

Tenten bit her lip, knowing that things had gone downhill. "Yeah." She said a breath above a whisper, cursing herself for not projecting a confident manner. " I'm sorry to have bothered you then." She turned around, eyes not meeting his, preparing to leave.

----

Neji had been listening to Tenten the whole time in amazement behind a mask of indifference. What Tenten had thought was resentment was no more than just Neji's bad attempt to hide amazement, what came through being some mangled emotion that oddly resembled anger.

And it all made so much sense, when Tenten had just let everything out, because things were becoming clearer now than they ever were before. And in the farthest reaches of his mind, where a part of him still dreams of the future and fantasies that are every bit as unrealistic as your or mine's, he can see an image of him and Tenten, 10, 20 years down the road, happy as can be.

It shocks him, amazes him, scares him, but most of all, and fills him with contentment. How weird it was that an argument that had lasted days and probably months beforehand could be resolved in a split second. Because when you get it, you just get it.

_Are you quite done?_

He hadn't said that to be mean. He just really wanted to speak. Tell her he could see it and did believe in them, though obviously not in so many words. What his mind is able to scream and what his mouth is able to say were two completely different things, and he doubted that he could get anything half as meaningful as what his brain was thinking out of his mouth. And then when she started to leave, his heart clenched horribly. And he knew that not many chances like this would exist later, and although part of him told him it was too soon, he decided to take the plunge anyways.

------

A warm hand took hold of her wrist as she turned to go, a silent plea for her to stay.

"If it helps, you were right before."

She turned around, not quite believing her ears, fighting the floaty feeling that was threatening to rise and consume her chest. "About what?"

" That I'm entirely too stoic." "And without somebody to keep me here, I'd probably lead just as hollow a life as you pictured it to be." That didn't make much sense, Neji knew. He sighed mentally. It sounded so much better in his head. Damn.

"Neji-"

He cut her off, speaking first, because damn it, he'd waited for her before, so now it was his turn. " But I know that…if you were here to keep me grounded…" He trailed off, completely at a loss for words.

But Tenten understood. She was good that way, she always had known Neji better then he knew himself. So it just seemed right when she made the first move and hugged him, because she knew he would never have taken the initiative.

Tentative arms wrapped around her waist, and he allowed himself to bury his face in her hair, undoing the elastics that normally kept her hair up in their buns. And the smell of shampoo wafted into his nose, and under all that, the smell of _her_, of just Tenten, and a smell no other words could describe because it was just _she._

She smiled into his shoulder. But she knew that they were still shinobi, and stuff like this may not last forever. So she's going to savour what she can.

And once again, it was Tenten that took the initiative, though it isn't as if she was complaining. She pressed a small kiss to the side of his mouth, a small one, to be sure. But Neji is never one to be denied, and through instincts that he didn't know he had, he managed to take control of what started out as a small start to something bigger. It was far from perfect, neither having much experience, but it was still satisfying, and just knowing that each other was there was more than enough.

And at times like this, a little phrase that Tenten had often read in storybooks as a child floated up to fill her mind. She had though it was incredibly dismal when she had first read it, because it was more based on chance than anything else. But her grin widened as she thought just how much it applied to her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Neji."

_If you love something, set it free. But if it comes back, it's yours to keep…

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This could have easily been a three-chapter story, but I'm weird so I stretched it. And it's also kinda short. :D BUT IT'S DONE. Reviews?


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